Comunicados

It is the 1st of February at 7:00 am. Bogotá´s cold affected each of the 24 CEMEX volunteers who raised their hands and decided to hit the road and take a 8 hours trip to work for the peace of the country.

Sleepiness and tiredness did not make a dent in the desire to reach “El Cañon de las Hermosas”, in the south of Tolima (an area previously inaccessible due to the presence of armed groups), and really begin to build a better future for Colombia.

Convinced of the importance of their commitment to this purpose, our collaborators said “YES to PEACE, I am a volunteer" to participate in the campaign called ‘Vamos Colombia, Vamos Tolima’ promoted by the ANDI Foundation, and it that mobilized 500 volunteers from 24 private companies.

“They spent five days working under the sun and rain, shoulder to shoulder, along with the community (habitants of 28 different hamlets from “el Cañón”), the Army, government entities and people in process of reintegration, in order to directly improve the living conditions of its inhabitants and along with it, take step towards peace.”

Context

For more than half a century, “El Cañon de las Hermosas” has been the scene of conflicts and violence that have marked the country. The pain stories of its habitants were the driving force to work as a team and thus give way to the forgiveness, reconciliation and hope that years ago the war snatched them.

During these days, volunteers built terraces for cultivation, using bio-construction techniques, using 3,800 tires. They also planted about 1,500 trees of native species suitable for the region; and built a house with recyclable materials with sanitary units and wastewater treatment system.

For Claudia Beltrán, our Community Relations Leader, this Volunteering was an opportunity to meet herself: "I´m really taking with me a great experience never lived before. I am happy to have contributed a grain of sand for the construction of social fabric, for reconciliation and peace in my country. "

Colombia is going through a historically important moment and it has a common purpose: build a better country. At CEMEX we are sure that with the effort of us all, Colombia can be in harmony, more equitable and inclusive. Participating in this type of projects, make our collaborators proud and also make them key actors of this transition towards peace.

Javier Zapata, our Public Sector practitioner, talks about his experience while sowing a tree: "We are contributing with all our strength and all our desire, building this new country and demonstrating to people that peace does exist and that Colombia can change".

John Jairo Poveda, an operator of our Caracolito Plant, invites not only CEMEX's collaborators, but also Colombia in general: "I invite you to make way for reconciliation, to share and to give a helping hand to this community that needs it so much. I am CEMEX and I live Colombia! "

See more: www.youtube.com/CemexsinMuros